The John Cooper School - Woodlands (Houston: attorney, private schools, university)

[pdouglas]

Originally Posted by smuggy_mba

My wife and I make 160K combined and were hoping to send our daughter in a private school...how are you saying someone with 250K can't do that.

I need to come to the defense of Cypresstosocal. We are in the same income bracket with the Cypresstosocal and have 2 kids in private school (10th grader and freshman in a private college). Both of our kids spent their entire educational life (with the exception of 2 years) in private school. Additionally, we contributed to the Texas Tommorrow Fund (original plan) since our kids were born. This was a financial strain at times but our priority is our children's education. Therefore, my husband and I both drive old cars (2004 and 1996 jeeps), buy things on sale, clip coupons, still watch box tvs, etc. Our taxes are high (remember 1/3 of that $250,000 goes to Uncle Sam) and we are not qualified for most of the tax credits.

I work in healthcare and have many direct reports. What amazes me is how some people earn $30K - $60K and drives the lates BMW (500+ series) Mercedes, Range Rovers, take luxury crusies and buy the lates electronic gadget as soon as it hit the market. These same people have kids!

[Ellen Pitts]

Originally Posted by chris_ut

On 160k you can certainly afford to send your kid to private school, budget around 25k per year. As long as you don't feel the need to live in a mansion and drive a new BMW to impress everyone it is very doable.

Unless you have four kids and a couple parents that you need to support. You just never know what someone else's situation is even if you know there salary.

[chris_ut]

Originally Posted by pegotty

Unless you have four kids and a couple parents that you need to support. You just never know what someone else's situation is even if you know there salary.

Poster stated one kid, not 4 kids and excess obligations. Obviously everyone's situation is unique.

[Vicman]

Originally Posted by pdouglas

I work in healthcare and have many direct reports. What amazes me is how some people earn $30K - $60K and drives the lates BMW (500+ series) Mercedes, Range Rovers, take luxury crusies and buy the lates electronic gadget as soon as it hit the market. These same people have kids!

Did they max out their credit cards? Or are they in fact involved in criminal dealings?

[Cypresstosocal]

well all I know is my husband and I went to public school, I see teenagers daily and the ones who are ambitious all do quite well when they go off to college with aspirations of medical school and engineering. They took AP classes in high school and are doing well at UT and A&M Now if you want your child to go to an ivy league, be president, etc do invest in private. I have a distant cousin who he himself went to boarding schools and now sends his son to a private boarding school in Europe, and this is after he spent a few years in public school, they lived in Sweetwater. BUT they have old money! So why not? Another example, my cousin went to Yale and he came from a public school in Kentucky that was ranked low, though he got a perfect score in math on the SAT. Anyone remember the preppy murderer from NYC back in the 80s His single mother worked her butt off as a nurse to have him attend private school Always felt sorry for her. So yes send your child to private if you can afford it and have savings.

[smuggy_mba]

Originally Posted by chris_ut

On 160k you can certainly afford to send your kid to private school, budget around 25k per year. As long as you don't feel the need to live in a mansion and drive a new BMW to impress everyone it is very doable.

The need to drive a BMW forced me to buy a brand new X5 this year

Two more years of payments left

We're looking for new house and don't like the ones in our range - 300K...LOL. But I'm going to be good this time and stay in my limits. We pay around $750 per month for my daughter Montessori and we really would like to send her to a private school....a lot of work to do once you have kids.

[Cypresstosocal]

I do like that you make your child's education a priority. I used to spend 17,000 a year on day care when my boys were younger I looked into ATWY school, it came out to 30k a year,which includes summer too I didn't always work full time and at one point I didn't work at all, so we decided we couldn't afford Now that we both work, maybe we could afford it but our school is so wonderful, my son is in honor roll, it was meant to be, but even that came with hard work on our part. I have a very active son so I thought the smaller ratio would help, when I realized I Couldn't do private, I just put him in sports and piano and emphasized As. Good luck!

[chris_ut]

Thanks for your input Cypress, always good to get different points of view.

[Dionne7]

Originally Posted by Cypresstosocal

I do like that you make your child's education a priority. I used to spend 17,000 a year on day care when my boys were younger I looked into ATWY school, it came out to 30k a year,which includes summer too I didn't always work full time and at one point I didn't work at all, so we decided we couldn't afford Now that we both work, maybe we could afford it but our school is so wonderful, my son is in honor roll, it was meant to be, but even that came with hard work on our part. I have a very active son so I thought the smaller ratio would help, when I realized I Couldn't do private, I just put him in sports and piano and emphasized As. Good luck!

If you look at private schools in Houston if it is a highschool review the average SAT scores. I am surprised that some private schools in Houston are charging so much money in tuition when not even half of the graduates are reaching at least 1800 on a combined SAT score and this is even considered low for some very "good universities" and above average from some. SAT scores are VERY important to get into a good college and you have to work more harder if you only have the good grades with a low SAT score. Even public high schools in wealthier communities in Texas are just barely above 1100 which you are a stone throw aware from remedial work in college. By the way the maximum score on the SAT is 2400, so anything not close to that will not get you into a selective college.

[RCH99]

Originally Posted by Dionne7

SAT scores are VERY important to get into a good college and you have to work more harder if you only have the good grades with a low SAT score.

That's right. One has to work more harder.